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Japan has stepped up its campaign for a resumption of commercial whaling on open seas with a plan to lobby the International Whaling Commission to abolish one of the world's two existing whale sanctuaries.

Among the motions listed on the provisional agenda for the commission's meeting in the Caribbean in May, is one from Japan calling for the Southern Ocean sanctuary to be abolished. The only other existing sanctuary is in the Indian Ocean.

Japan's move is the latest in a series of objections to the Southern Ocean sanctuary and comes at the same time as proposals from Australia and Brazil to create two more sanctuaries, in the South Pacific and south Atlantic oceans.

After voting against the Southern Ocean sanctuary's original creation in 1994, Japan last year joined forces with several Caribbean island nations to argue the sanctuary's inclusion in the International Whaling Convention schedule was illegal.

The schedule stipulates that amendments must be based on scientific findings. Japan argued there was inadequate scientific advice on whether the sanctuary was necessary for the conservation, development and "optimum utilisation of whale resources". But the whaling commission ruled the motion out of order because its members were not given the required 60 days notice.

It's thought Japan may argue the same case in its latest submission, which this time does meet the 60 days advance notice rule.

Although Japan agreed to the 1986 moratorium on whaling, it has continued to kill 440 minke whales each year, exploiting a loophole which allows killing for scientific research.

Greenpeace Australia's oceans campaigner, Darren Gladman, said the scientific research consisted of "cutting the whales open and looking at their insides". The whale meat was then sold on the open market.

Mr Gladman said it was difficult to take action against countries which contravened the international moratorium.

He said there was concern that the abolition of the Southern Ocean sanctuary might see countries other than Japan take up whaling once more.

Norway resumed whaling in its coastal waters in 1993 and there are signs Iceland has similar plans.

Australia's Environment Minister, Senator Robert Hill, said he would oppose any move to weaken the level of global whale protection.